


Spring Break 2k18

by Toryb



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluffy, Friends to Lovers, oh my god they were roommates, spring buggie break 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-18 09:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14210610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toryb/pseuds/Toryb
Summary: A series of prompts from Spring Buggie Break (@buggiebreak on tumblr) used to create one story of Betty and Jughead finally getting together during their college spring break <3





	1. Prompt 1: Spring Break

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to string the buggiebreak prompts into one cohesive story. It's just going to be pure fluff guys. Hope you enjoy!

When Veronica had suggested their titular core four make a spring break trip to Florida of all places, it had been Jughead’s first instinct to say no. But his first instincts were often drowned out by his roommate’s over eager people-pleaser attitude. Betty Cooper couldn’t say no to three people: his younger sister Jellybean, her mother Alice Cooper (though that was a work in progress), and her best friend Veronica Lodge.

At Riverdale High, they’d been the thickest of thieves, the closest of friends. They were, without a single doubt, the most iconic thing about that sleepy small town -- if you didn’t count the six gruesome murders their Scooby gang had helped to solve. That was a lot for a group of sixteen year olds, especially when they were trekking their way through normal problems like passing geometry and who to ask to spring formal. Veronica and Archie were a thing almost immediately. It has surprised no one when, upon graduation, he had got down on one knee, presented her with a ring, and asked three words.  _ “Will you marry me?”  _ But when you’re in college, three words are hard to follow up on. Yes, Veronica swore they would get married in Spring. Which spring--after four years--was still to be announced.

It had always been Archie and Jughead’s plan to end up cramped in a studio apartment together in New York City, but with an impending marriage came collateral damage. Dashed away were those childhood starving artist fantasies. But who better to replace Archie then the other victim of Hurricane Varchie’s whirlwind romance. Betty, on paper and in practice, was the perfect roommate. They were childhood friends, she cooked the best lasagna he’d ever tasted in his entire life, and she actually liked cleaning. There was only one small hiccup. The two of them had been irremediably, inexplicably in love for going on thirteen years. At least, that was Jughead’s speculation.

Veronica--on more than one occasion--had loudly proclaimed how frustrated she was with their Nicholas Spark’s will they won’t they routine. It was obvious to everyone around them that they should simply (as she’d crudely put it) “fuck and get it over with”. Still, that wall existed. A thin, almost invisible barrier kept them toeing that line like that had for years. They never really acknowledge it, at least not verbally. One of the many things they shared was fear. An intense, overwhelming, mind numbing fear of loss.

They each had their own trauma to overcome with that. Jughead felt abandoned by his mother, by his father, by a world that he wanted desperately to help. He’d been homeless, jobless, scraping pennies out of friend’s couch cushions so he could try to read the woman who had given birth to him one last time in a desperate attempt for any sort of home. Admittedly, he knew Betty had it worse. Her father had been convicted of murder--four counts--and it was them who had brought him to justice, when she found him perched over her brother Chic Cooper with a knife in his hand and a crazed bloodlust in his eyes. 

Chic didn’t make it out of Riverdale like he’d always dreamed.

Betty barely did.

Fear had been so ingrained into them that it was impossible not to pay attention to it. What would happen if things didn’t work out? They’d lose the only steady support either of them had ever had. Even after all this time, it felt like a risk too frightening to make. 

Not that Hurricane Varchie listened. Specifically Veronica. No doubt this spring break was yet another excuse to coop them up in a Betty’s minivan ( _ “it’s really practical Jug, even if we don’t drive it that often!” _ ) and strong arm a love confession once they’d reached the point of exhaustion. To be fair, this plan was working much better. By hour fourteen of the fifteen hour drive, Jughead was starting to become intoxicated by the scent of Betty. For reasons that could only confirm his eight year old theory of her being a real life fairy princess, the hours in the car without a shower or much more than the perfume Veronica would periodically spray on all of them, she still smelled like vanilla.

“Can we please listen to something else, Jug?” Betty laughed, picking up his phone which was currently playing of a late 90s grunge spotify playlist. “Before I go deaf?”

“At least you’d go out surrounded by good music and good company.”

She gave him a cheeky grin. “Debatable on the company thing but jury’s still out on this one guy.”

“Oh? What’s he like?”

And they were flirting again, like they’d been doing on and off for the past three hours. There wasn’t much else to do when trapped in a van for so long. Especially when the couple you were supposed to switch shifts with was curled up in the back fast asleep sharing headphones. Not that Jughead particularly minded the flirty banter they had picked up lately. Some days they walked that self imposed line a little tighter.

“Maybe a little arrogant,” she admitted, turning so she could face him. “But funny. Good. Amazing. Super talented writer and the Watson to my Sherlock-”

“Pretty sure it’s the other way around but continue.”

His sarcasm earned him a quick smack on the arm, but to his surprise, her hand lingered, slowly tracing down to rest on his upper thigh. All the air released from his lungs at once. The road became blurry, every atom of his body lit ablaze by a single touch. She really had to stop doing this to him.

“I think he’s great. Even when he doesn’t see it. He’s got this huge heart even though he would never let anyone see through this exterior he’s got. And,” she pulled back, as if suddenly far too aware of their prolonged contact. “He’s going to ride the teacups with me at Disney World as many times as I want.”

“I’m sorry he’s going to what now?”

Betty put on her best pout. “Come on Juggie! You know you can’t deny this pretty face anything.”

“You, Betty Cooper, are really lucky you’re cute.”

Their eyes lingered for far too long on one another. She twitched in her seat and for a second--a brief, fleeting, hopeful second--Jughead thought she might lean over and kiss him.

“Guys!” Veronica pulled her sleep mask off. “Guys, Siri has been yelling at you to take the upcoming exit. So take it. Now.”

The pulled into the far too expensive Orlando hotel a half hour earlier than expected. The quad stretched and groaned and argued over who could take the shower first. Veronica had wisely arranged for two seperate rooms. They were only spending two nights in Orlando, the rest would be in Coco Beach not too far out of the city. Jughead was grateful to find two beds in his and Betty’s side -- unlike two Christmases ago, when they’d spend time at the Lodge’s cabin and she had conveniently forgotten to mention they were going to have to share a bed. At least that was one trope avoided.

“You can take the shower first Betts,” he pulled off his sweaty hoodie and groaned. “But please be quick, or I’m going to have to open up a window.

Betty stared a little longer, tracing along the curve of his serpent tattoo, a relic from a past he was currently still running from. Her lip was pulled between her teeth. Despite every fiber of his body being against such a cheesy display, Jughead winked. He winked. At Betty. His roommate, his best friend, his...something.

What surprised him even more? She winked back before giggling and rushing into the bathroom. This Spring Break was going to be incredibly complicated one.


	2. Prompt 2: Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 2: The four spend the day at Disneyland and Jughead gets Betty something special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy the second chapter! Today's prompt is flower themed. Remember, if you want to join in on the fun, you don't have to do every prompt! It's however many you want <3

Disney World had never been on Jughead’s list of “top ten places to visit before I die”. He didn’t care about some capitalist Mouse Land. But Betty looked at him with those pretty big green eyes and he caved, just like he always caved. She could ask him to pluck the stars from the sky and Jughead would be strapped into a rocket before nightfall.

It was because of that painful dedication that he found himself standing in line behind two giggling sixteen year olds who were also enjoying their spring break at the most magical place on earth--a title he wanted to argue with more than either Veronica or Betty would let him. Maybe it wouldn’t have been as bad if Jughead had any redeeming memories from his childhood attached to a Disney Movie. Most of the time, his parents would put one on to drown out the sound of their arguments. The Little Mermaid left an especially bitter taste in his mouth. But Betty had pointed to a pair of flower ears she’d wanted and, in a desperate attempt to woo her, he had quickly gotten in lie at the ridiculously named Mad Hatter themed shop to pay for overpriced plastic. Archie standing beside him made it just a bit more tolerable.

As much as he bitched and moaned, today was not half as bad as Jughead had expected it to be. He liked a bit of thrill seeking. They all did. That’s why they were the town’s murder mystery crew, though not always by choice. Roller coasters were awesome, Space Mountain especially so. If it weren’t for the extraordinarily long lines that came with holiday seasons, Archie and him might have been on it for the entire day.

The highlight of Jughead’s saturday was when Betty had clung to his arm during the Haunted Mansion. When they’d stepped off the spooky, dimly light ride, her hands had lingered on his arm--a feeling so delightful, he feared spontaneous combustion was a very real possibility in his near future. But Veronica’s persistent hawke eyes didn’t allow for much experimentation with their thinly defined boundaries. If she caught one glance of romantic tension it would be the only thing they’d hear about for the rest of Spring Break.

“So, have you and Betty talked yet?” Archie asked, pretending to be nonchalant, but the uncomfortable twitch of his foot gave away his fiancee’s obvious prompting.

Jughead rolled his eyes. “No we haven’t. Not that there is anything to talk about even. No matter how hard you guys push it that’s all that there’s going to be.”

“But you wouldn’t mind if there were more?”

“I’m sure there’s a universe where the answer to that is no but you’re right, I wouldn’t mind if there was something else there. But Arch, mixing something that volatile into the only thing that keeps us both sane? I know you did bad in chemistry but it doesn’t feel worth the risk.” It felt hollow. To him, especially now, it did feel worth it. Betty’s mixed signals were making his head spin.

“Next!” the board looking teenage cashier asked and Archie took a step forward, pointing to the Maleficent ears Veronica had demanded. The total on the register nearly makes Jughead, but he remembers that little voice in his ear (that sounds probably a bit too much like Betty) reminding him that this is a vacation, and they’re all in need of a little superfluous spending.

After his redheaded companion has paid, Jughead is up next. He pointed to the exact ones Betty’s wanted. This wasn’t how he had imagined buying her flowers for the first time, but it fits their confusing state of limbo.

The boys find the famous duo B and V sitting outside and enjoying a joint frozen lemonade, Jughead was once again struck by Betty’s beauty. Sunlight was her best friend, reflecting off her golden hair to form a halo that would have the angels hanging their heads in defeat. She beamed and gave a little wave as they approached. Prizes in hand, the girls snap a few hundred photos for instagram, forcing both Jughead and Archie to act as photographers for the occasion.

“Thanks Juggie. They’re perfect,” she smiled gently, both of them stoutly ignoring the peppering of kisses Veronica was giving her lover.

“That’s on you. You pointed, I paid.”

“But you didn’t have to,” she insisted. Her hand brushed his in a way that felt almost purposeful. He tried to remind his heart not to fly too close to the sun. “So let me say thank you.”

Before he could stop her, Betty was dragging him off towards one of the food stands. His stomach growled in anticipation. Eyes wide, Jughead took in the list of theme park snacks. Mickey shaped pretzels - it would feel weird eating the head of an icon but not in a ‘i’m not doing this’ kind of way. Frosty treats - no it wasn’t too hot outside today, even with the humidity helping his curls to expand their way out of his beanie. Churros - absolutely. After some argument, they agreed to split a pretzel and two churro, with a promise from Betty that if he got hungry again, she would be the one picking up the tab.

“You’re a cute couple,” the clerk smiled and passed them their change and the last of the fried food.

It felt weird to correct her, but he didn’t have the chance. Betty beamed right back and took what was theirs. “Thanks. Have a good day...Emily!”

There was no way his hurt could beat any faster than what it already was. Snuggling on a freaky ride was one thing, but flat out not denying to a Disneyland Employee that they might be something was another. He tried not to dwell but  _ thanks  _ might have just become his new favorite word.

“Quickest way to a Jughead’s heart is through his stomach,” Betty teased, offering his half of Mickey’s left ear.

“You know me too well.”

They darted through the busy crowd, looking for the signature mess of red hair to guide them back to their waiting friends. A few feet away from where Veronica was lounging in her far too expensive sunglasses, Betty stopped them and planted a solid kiss to his cheek.

“Thanks again for the ears, Juggie. They’re perfect.”

Later that night, Jughead would lay in bed listening to his roommates steady breathing with that day’s events playing on his mind like a broken VCR he never wanted to fix. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance they might end up being  _ something.  _ And soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr: @tory-b  
> Follow buggie breaks on tumblr: @buggiebreak


	3. Prompt 3: Easter Egg Hunts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica suggest a drunken adult easter egg hunt and Jughead finds a lot more than hidden eggs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 3 is a lot of fun! Thank to everyone who's really enjoying this series of little ficlets <3 you're amazing

The drive to Cocoa Beach was more bearable than the one to Orlando, probably because  Veronica and Archie had offered to drive as an apology for missing their share of the initial road trip. Betty pressed close to him in the back, her hands so unbearably close to his. The better part of the day was spent in the time share the Lodge’s owned. There was unpacking to be done as well as a dispute over who would be in what bed. Again, Veronica had “forgotten” there were only two bedrooms.

As a way to diffuse the situation (get them drunk enough that it didn’t matter who was where and who was what), Veronica had announced an adult easter egg hunt. The only thing, as far as Jughead could tell, that differentiated an adult easter egg hunt from a normal one was the copious amount of margaritas they drank before the actual game began. By his fourth drink, hands and eyes were starting to wander.

“So do you understand the rules?”

Jughead looked at the redhead with vagueness only an inebriated college student could have. “I think...yeah. We look around the house and the lot for easter eggs. Whoever collects the most...collects the most?”

Betty giggled and gently smacked his chest. They had been pressed together on the couch for the better part of the long winded explanation. Not that he minded. At all. Almost every curve of hers could be felt through her thin cotton shirt--she had forgone the cardigans--and it was starting to wear his resolve down bit by bit. Every few seconds, she would wiggle a bit closer, until he could practically taste the alcohol on her breath. If he kissed her, would she taste like strawberries, lime, or ethanol?

Whenever they drank, Archie would watch him like a hawk. It wasn’t often he, as the son of an alcohol, really ventured into full on trashed territory. But he wasn’t his father, wasn’t his mistakes, and Jughead knew how to handle himself, at least around liquor, not so much around Betty. She was his person addiction--slowly killing him, but he would never quit. Tonight, the ginger was much more preoccupied with his fiancee and her silly games. How he had convinced their neighbor to hide easter eggs for a group of drunken college students on their spring break still remained very much a mystery. Jughead suspected it had something to do with Archie’s shirtless reappearance. Those abs were magic.

“I’m sure we can think of something as a prize, Juggie,” Betty whispered, leaning a bit closer. A giggle rolled fluidly off her tongue, nearly as intoxicating as the drinks they had been sipping on. Her hand came to rest on his chest. He was sure she could feel his heart skip a few hundred beats.

“It’s not always about winning,” Archie tried. “Sometimes it’s about the ride to get there. Like that time we all got into Reggie’s convertible and drove. We didn’t really have a destination, but we all had fun getting there.”

“Reggie tossed me out of the car when we were moving and I almost broke my arm,” Jughead reminded him.

“Sssshhh, Jug. Juggie. Jughead. My man. My bro. My dude, Jug. The journey. Not the destination. And our journey is the egg hunt.”

Veronica piped up, taking another sip of her drink. “Also, I hid money in the eggs and you can keep it if you find it.”

“Good enough for me. Come on, Betts.”

With another laugh, Betty grabbed his hand and followed him to the backyard. Archie and Veronica would be busy inside--he speculated that busy would not include finding money filled easter eggs, but instead a bit more adult themed fun--so they would get the dance to search the miniature palm trees and sculpted shrubbery around the yard. It would have been more effective had they split up, but Jughead didn’t mind her lingering at the edge of his peripheral vision. Teams had not originally been part of the program, but it surprised no one that they had split into their iconic duos regardless.

“You’d have better luck finding them if you stopped watching me,” Betty teased, spinning around so she could give him a dizzy wink. He didn’t have the heart to remind her that winking usually involved one eye.

“But I really like watching you.”

Alcohol made his tongue loser--his flirting a lot worse but his tongue was the important part in this situation. Or at least he hoped it would be soon. He told himself to get his mind out of the gutter, but it was firmly implanted there, especially when looking at the way Betty’s skirt lifted in the gentle summer breeze.

“Oh yeah?” she smiled, taking a step closer to her. “And I guess that means you like what you see too, huh?”

“I think you already know the answer to that one.”

He hadn’t realized how close they were now, breathing the same air, her hands coming up to touch his shoulders. The breeze hit again and Jughead reached out to push the hair from her face. She was too beautiful to have it be hidden from view.

“Juggie…” her breathing wasn’t steady anymore. Her eyes flickered down to his lips and she pulled him closer. “Will you kiss me? Please?”

And he did. He kissed her senseless. Whatever reservations they had before tonight were long gone. She was beautiful tonight, beautiful every night. It was everything he had ever wanted. Her lips were just as soft as he had always imagined. 

“Do you want...do you want to go upstairs?” she asked once they had pulled back to breath. Jughead should have said no. They were already crossing borders they’d only lightly pushed before. But he nodded, taking her hand and pulling her into one last kiss before guiding her upstairs. (Veronica and Archie were long since gone, busy with certain activities that had distracted them.)

After tonight, Jughead would never be able to scrub his tongue clean of the cherry lime kiss of Betty’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget to check out @buggiebreak on tumblr  
> or me @tory-b


	4. Prompt 4: One Night Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty are forced to face the repercussions of last night's drunken activities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's really been enjoying these little ficlets all tied together! It's so much fun for me:)

Last night had been a lot, at least that’s what Jughead was gathering from the fact that he had woken up with Betty sprawled across his chest, drenched in the beautiful sunlight peeking through the beach house blinds. The bed was a mess. Blankets, pillows, everything was tossed to the side. Only a thin stip of sheet covered just below their midsections but that was all the modesty offered.

Blinking away the hungover haze, Jughead noticed her lips first: swollen and bitten from last night's wilder activities. Then he found the few freckles littering her alabaster skin. But those weren’t the only imperfections. Last night he had devoured her, leaving dark purple hickies on every bit of skin he could reach. The memory danced on the edge of his mind, not fully coming forward to admit guilt, but he could hear himself, like an echo far away, whispering “ _ mine” _ again and again.

He moved slightly to one side, trying to ease the ache in his arm. Betty’s head was heavy--a secret he would take to his grave--and his entire left side was fast asleep underneath her. The rustling of the bed stirred her awake. When those angel green eyes blinked up at him, all the breath left his body. Even fast asleep she was the picture of perfection. No, not perfection, but something otherworldly. Maybe even heavenly.

“Morning,” his voice cracked with sleep.

Betty shook her head and pressed into his chest, murmuring something he couldn’t quite make out, but sent his heart fluttering nevertheless. Not even in his wildest fantasies had Jughead so much as allowed himself to picture a morning where he woke up in bed with his roommates, his best friend. Those ideas were kept locked safely in a box of forbidden thoughts. But now here they were, wrapped up in each other so tightly he could barely keep a straight thought.

Last night--from what he remembered anyway--had been magical. Electric. Mind blowingly wonderful. The way she had squirmed beneath him, begging again and again to have him would be seared permanently into the folds of his brain. His back was scratched and bruised from her excited finger nails. Mascara clung and clumped to each of her eyelashes in a way that, on anyone else, would have been unflattering, but since it was Betty Cooper (in his bed!) it was all the more endearing.

He reached up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Come on. I’ll go grab coffee from downstairs if you want?”

“No,” she whispered, “No don’t leave. Stay right here. In bed. All day long.”

“Tempting offer but eventually I’m going to have to pee and my stomach will start rumbling so hard it will ruin the peaceful beach atmosphere.”

“Later. Right now cuddle.” Betty insisted, taking his hand and giving his open palm a gentle kiss.

A proper conversation would be in order, and very soon, but for now he was going to enjoy the domesticity of an early morning cuddle session with the woman he was hopelessly, painfully in love with. She wiggled closer, trying to find a comfortable position, before finally resting her head exactly where it had been before on his chest. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that. Hours? Days? Years? It went by too quickly for his liking.

There was a loud thump on the door, startling them both awake. Betty, it seemed, had finally realized just how compromising of a position they were in, and scrambled to pull the sheet up to hide even just a bit more.

“Who is it?” Betty asked.

When no reply came, Jughead took it upon himself to stand and---after pulling on his boxers--went to check the door. Opening it revealed not a person expecting their presence at the dining room table for breakfast, but instead a fruit and pancake platter arranged into a perfect heart and dusted with a bounty of powdered sugar. There was a note placed on top. He recognized Veronica’s princess scrawl immediately.

_ Morning lovebirds! Hope you enjoyed the night. Archiekins and I are having a beach date (there’s a perfect little ice cream shop that would make the cutest first date shop. Just so you know, Jug) so I made sure the chef cooked up a little something for breakfast to make sure you got back whatever you two exercised off last night. Judging by the squeaking, you’ll be needing an extra stack this morning. Enjoy you're lazy morning, kids, and be safe! _

_ XOXO, _

_ V _

Had Jughead not spent a majority of his adolescence around Veronica Lodge, he might have found it hard to believe a person like her honestly existed. Still, the gesture was sweet and he was not one to look a gift horse--especially one bringing pancakes--in the mouth. He picked up the tray and brought it to Betty. Unfortunately for him, she had slipped on his sleep shirt. Maybe she had forgotten the underwear. A guy could certainly dream.

“Veronica left us pancakes. Said something about needing our energy back up from last night.”

Betty turned a brilliant shade of pink and let out a little surprised, “Oh,” before cutting up a piece of buttermilk and preoccupying herself with the strawberry syrup. They didn’t speak much. Silence was not an unwelcome friend to them. The ability to sit comfortably together was one of the strongest parts of their relationship.

What that relationship would be defined as after last night, Jughead wasn’t so sure anymore. The very thought of change petrified him, but this had been a long time coming. Everyone they knew had been counting down the days until they finally pulled their heads out of their asses and did something about that mounting sexual tension.

It was Jughead who finally decided to break the loaded silence. “I know you wanted a lazy day today, and I’m definitely okay with that, but what if tomorrow we um...well Veronica mentioned this ice cream place on the boardwalk and maybe we could go there and just...walk around? See some stuff.”

Even in his head the proposition made him cringe. Was he a middle schooler afraid of rejection from his crush when he asked her to the eighth grade formal? To his surprise, Betty smiled and planted a sticky kiss to his cheek.

“That sounds wonderful Juggie. I think we should do that. But today, let’s pull up a Hitchcock movie and see what happens. I’m a little hazy on last nights details so you’ll have to help remind me.”

Jughead pulled her in for a gentle kiss. “Betts, I think that sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to follow me on tumblr: @tory-b
> 
> and don't forget to check out @buggiebreak wither!


	5. Prompt 5: Tropical Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty have their first official date on the boardwalk of Cocoa Beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's Day 5 of buggie break which means were starting to near the end! I've got something written for every day and this day is just as soft as the other <3 Thanks for enjoying this so much!

The seagulls dancing overhead let out a cacophony of screams, all roughly the same irritation of his frantically beating heart. Betty Cooper had agreed to a date with a him. A date. With him. Jughead Jones. After a one night stand so intense it lasted into the next day. His wildest teenage boys had come true over the course of just a few days.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful girl beside her. Underneath her delicate beach wrap was a pastel purple bikini that was becoming increasingly impossible to keep his eyes off of. Every part of her was simply addictive. Who needed jingle jangle when he had her by his side? Fortunately for him, Betty let her hair down for the day, those pretty blonde curls falling over her shoulders. Jughead loved seeing her like that: relaxed, calm, and--for once--free.

“Are you checking me out, Jones?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

The big glasses sitting on the top of her delicate little nose made it hard to confirm his suspicions, but he speculated he might not be the only one with wandering eyes. 

“Me? Of course, I am. Anyone not looking at you Cooper, is blind.” Her large frames couldn’t hide her blush and he took special pride in knowing it was him who made her cheeks that pretty pink color.

As per Veronica’s suggestion, Jughead had taken her to the ice cream shop on the boardwalk. The sea air was beautiful. Occasionally, the breeze would kick up, Betty’s skirt would fly out around her like her very own set of angel wings and he would pull her a little closer. Tourists like them littered the beaches, excited to drink in the Spring Break sunshine rays. Despite wanting to keep his borderline vampiric appearance up, Jughead had agreed to take a dive with her earlier on in their date. It had quickly devolved into a childish splash fight (not that either of them were really complaining). His shirt would smell like salt for the next two weeks and he couldn’t even complain.

The ice cream had been a perfect decision. Walking hand in hand along the beach, they could pick up their favorite pastime of people watching. It was a hobby dating back to early middle school, when they would both be bored, waiting outside for rides home that were always late, though often for different reasons. Mama Cooper had to many extracurricular activities to keep track of. Mama Jones simply forgot.

“That girl is engaged,” Jughead said, gesturing to a slightly older couple curled up on the bench.

Betty rolled her eyes. “Way too easy. You can see the ring. You’re losing you're touch! Where’s all that creative writing juice?”

“My professors put me in an orange juicer called midterms and turned me into sunday breakfast. I think the second course are all the things I wrote that I thought were good.”

“Oh it couldn’t be that bad!” Betty insisted, “You’re so talented, Juggie.”

“Talent is one thing but they’re brutally ripping us apart to prepare us for the real world where being an author means rejection and revision at every turn. Which is fine, but it just means I’m a bit creatively exhausted right now.”

What he didn’t tell her was what he had been writing about for midterms. There was a certain pretty blonde who could never really make her way out of his thoughts. A few poems--hidden away from embarrassment before fiction and creative nonfiction are one thing, but poetry was a whole different ball game he wasn’t very good at--have been written about just how intrusive his thoughts about her were. Given they might plausible have started dating, Jughead was sure they were never going to go away again (not that he even wanted them to).

Betty seemed a bit disheartened by his lack of interest in their childhood game, her eyes downcast and her perpetual Cooper smile faulting for the briefest of moments. He hated to see her that way, especially when they were blessed with good weather in a tropical--though the reality of that could be argued, Florida was certainly more tropical than New York would ever be--paradise. He squeezed her hand and pointed at an elderly man tossing food to the seagulls.

“See that guy? He comes here every day. He used to do it with his wife but she passed away a few years ago. She asked him to always make sure her birds were fed and he hasn’t stopped since. Every day he throws food to them and every day he thinks about how happy his wife would be to see that.”

Betty smiled and walked a little closer to him. “That’s beautiful, Juggie. Absolutely beautiful. See, not even angry professors can break that creative monster inside of you.”

“Well it helps when I’ve got my muse standing right next to me.”

Another blush and another point for Jughead. It was hard not to keep score when he felt an impossible swell of pride in his chest at his accomplishments. In high school, Betty had almost never blushed for the boys. Even when Trevor had invited her to homecoming, her ‘yes thank you’ had seemed more forced than full of genuine blushing excitement. Thinking back on it, Jughead was shocked at how oblivious he had always been. While he was pining for her, she had been pining right back. Her long standing crush for Archie had made it difficult to see that, but at least he had her now. And he was never, ever going to give her up.

Betty’s eyes went wide and she pointed in the direction of a little run down shack a few feet up to their right. He looked up at the shoddy scribbled sign and audibly sighed.

_ Madam Hughe’s Palm Reading and Mystic Emporium _

_ Walk-Ins Welcome! _

“Come on Betty, you know any psychic with a walk-ins welcome sign is full of it right?”

“Juggie please! It’ll be fun! Our first silly thing as a couple together. Oh please please please?”

Well when she put it like that, who was he to refuse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont' forget to follow me on tumblr @tory-b
> 
> and don't forget to follow @buggiebreak to find other amazing artists and creators!


	6. Prompt 6: Unseen Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madam Hughe has some interesting advice for our couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter (not too long but still) and i just wanted to thank @mcjuggie on tumblr (Berlin is the best you should look at her prompts fulfilled it's SO GOOD) for teaching me the correct tarot for their reading!

Madam Hughe’s Palm Reading and Mystic Emporium smelt like patchouli oil and strong lavender incense. Jughead nearly choked when he walked through the door. Judging by the way Betty smacked his shoulder in warning, the face he was making was unpleasant at best. In the corner of the little shop sat a stand overflowing with crystal jewelry. By a much smaller hand he was pulled towards it.

“You know,” Betty said, picking up a small pink crystal, “Rose quartz are supposed to be good for anxiety.”

“Do you really believe all that stuff, Betts?”

He’d never heard her make any mention to it. If any of them would be interested in the mystic and supernatural, Jughead would have thought it to be Veronica, who was already superstitious that she believed gifting people with knives was bad luck. Though, looking back on it, the Cooper’s had always shown some witchy tendencies. Alice had once burned sage to cleanse Betty’s room after Cheryl and Veronica had spent the night.

“Well...Scientifically maybe not. But there’s no harm in feeling a little better by indulging myself right? And they’re pretty earrings even if they don’t rid my soul of the evil anxiety demons.”

“Is that what you call them?”

“Oh no, I call them Fred and Karl, but not everyone likes their problems to be so specifically labeled.”

With a laugh, Jughead leaned down and kissed his girl. ( _ His girl _ , that was still a wild thought. The only other thing that had ever really been his was the goldfish he won at the school carnival in first grade that his little sister overfed to death.) She popped on her toes to kiss back, reaching out to squeeze his hand. The pulled back only when a small cough interrupted them.

The woman standing there--who Jughead guessed to be Madam Hughe herself--was tiny. Barely over four feet, even Veronica would look like a giant next to her. Carved into her skin were a myriad of wrinkles. Her laugh lines were the most prominent of all, but he chose not to comment verbally on that. No doubt with her draping shawls perpetual squint (were her eyes going to be okay?), she enjoyed looking like a spector spectacle.

“You.” She reached out a bony fingering, gesturing between them. “You’ve both come in for a reading haven’t you?”

Jughead shook his head. “No, actually we’re just looking-”

“Yes!” Betty cut in, smile ever bright on those pretty pink lips. “We are! You’re Madam Hughe right? It’s a pleasure to meet you. What kind of reading can we get from you?”

“I do all kinds, but you, you two need something from the cards. A conversation with the spirits to make sure you’re on the straight and narrow with your love. No doubt this union has been a long time coming, but you’re both unsure what is next to come. Fear is overtaking you.”

Startled by her accuracy, he stared down at the old woman, mouth agape as he thought of something, anything clever to say. Conspiracy theories, that was the kind of mystery that interested him. But mystic and supernatural powers? That was a stretch. He had never seen a ghost, doubted that if he were dead he’d want to hang around crappy old earth instead of exploring whatever afterlife there was.

There was no time to for a witty remark or a classic Jones ‘thanks but no thanks’, because he was quickly being ushered into the back where a round wooden table sat, hobbled slightly due to it’s missing leg. A candle--that worried him, since there were cards laid out and Madam Hughe didn’t look like she had the best eyesight--flickered dead center. An ominous feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, like a snake constricting its prey.

Once they were seated, she pulled out the first card.

“The tower. Something has recently fallen apart, a wall coming down, perhaps? But from the ashes of that rises something new. You should not be afraid of this change, but embrace it, or you’ll risk losing the beauty of change.”

Betty kept silent and, for once, so did Jughead. He was enraptured by her tone, the fluidity of her movements, even the glittering backs of the golden cards she pulled from.

“And then for you,” she pointed, “What is your name girl?”

“Shouldn’t you be able to guess,” Jughead muttered under his breath, quickly masking the pained whimper from Betty’s kick with a cough.

“Elizabeth Cooper, ma’am, but I go by Betty.”

The old woman smiled. “Well, Betty, this card is for you. The eight of cups. You must look deep in on yourself to find your happiness. Once you have that light, follow it, and hold it so tightly you never let go. And you, boy who doesn’t believe what I have to say. What is your name?”

He wasn’t normally one to go spilling his secrets to strangers, but he felt compelled by her. “Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third. But I’ve always gone by Jughead.”

“Forsythe,” She tasted his name on her tongue, mulling it over until seemingly satisfied. “You are your own worst enemy. The Nine of Swords. Why do you blind yourself? Hold yourself back from what you know is the right path? You need to halt that fear in its tracks before you become your own worst enemy.”

She pulled the cards back together in a neat little stack. Betty and Jughead sat together, stewing in a silence nearly as uncomfortable as they were stuffed like sardines in the back of a limo for junior prom when somehow they had ended up as dates despite their awkward and half hearted protests.

Finally, Betty spoke up. “How much do we owe you?”

Madam Hughe waved her off. “Hush. Anything I can do to assist a young couple in a flourishing romance is reward enough. Now remember what I said,” she looked warningly at Jughead. “You especially. Do not ruin this for yourself.”

And then, with a flourish, she was gone, puttering around her store with a content little grin. Suddenly, Jughead was overwhelmed with the feeling he had just witnessed Veronica’s future. Betty left a tip in the lavender painted jar anyway.

Outside the atmosphere shift was palpable. Suddenly, the screaming beach goers felt out of place next to such a mystical shop. They walked together in silence for some time, hoping the beach waves and salty air would help to calm their frazzled nerves.

“We don’t have to believe her,” Betty said softly. “But um...maybe she’s right. We did kind of run away from the thought of us for a long time. And for no reason other than just being...terrified about something changing. But change isn’t always bad. And I think...I think this change is good. Our change is good. Because nothing really is different, you know? We’re still Jughead and Betty now we just...are Jughead and Betty who finally kiss when they want to.”

He took a deep breath and gave her a gentle smile, pulling her close to his chest in the middle of the boardwalk. “I think I really like being Jughead and Betty who finally kiss.”

“Me too, Juggie. Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr @tory-b
> 
> follow @buggiebreak for more awesome people!


	7. Prompt 7: April Showers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their last day on the beach is interrupted by a little downpour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last day of buggie break! Tomorrow acts a kind of epilogue to the story, but today is just more and more and more fluff! Hope you enjoy!

It wasn’t supposed to rain, not on their last at Cocoa Beach. It was supposed to be sunny and fun, full of stereotypical poolside activities. The beginning of the day had been promising. Jughead woke up with a certain sleeping beauty beside him. Without much fanfare, this had become the expected thing. But he wondered sometimes if it would stay that way, even when they left their sunny destination.

The core four had breakfast when the sun was still up and shining. A few clouds littered the horizon, but no one headed Betty’s warning that the forecasts said rain. Instead, Jughead and Archie raced down to the shore for a game of beach volleyball. He wasn’t normally one for sports, but he had a lanky body which was to his advantage. Plus, watching Archie eat shit on the sand was kind of amazing.

Veronica and Betty were hunkered under a beach umbrella, each with a book in hand. Jughead couldn’t hear what they were talking about exactly, but every few minutes Veronica would gesture towards him in a way that felt a lot like she was gloating, so it wasn’t too much to assume it was about his and Betty’s newly developed romantic relationship. A few more embarrassing follies and Archie declared he was giving up. By the time they’d successfully broken down their game, dark storm clouds were starting to roll in.

Stepping closer, Jughead caught the tail end of whatever Veronica was saying. “...just think it’ll be good for both of you. I’m happy for you guys, Betts. Really happy.”

“Thanks Veronica, really.” Betty smiled at them approaching. She patted the towel beside her for Jughead to sit. There wasn’t much fabric left so it pressed them close together, not that he was complaining.

“We should probably go inside soon,” Archie--the first time he’d ever been the voice of reason--suggested. “Pack things up. Maybe curl up by the fire before we have to make the worst drive in the world tomorrow.”

Jughead snorted. “No, I’m sorry, before  _ you _ have to make the worst drive tomorrow. Betty and I made it here, you guys make it back and  _ we  _ get to curl up in the back and be the nauseating couple.”

“Ooohhh, let’s rewatch making a murderer babe, I’ve been meaning to find the time to do that for awhile.”

_ Babe.  _ **_BABE._ ** Oh God if it wasn’t a sure thing before, Betty had pretty much just sealed his fate in stone. He could pictures it now, delicately carved into his marble headstone: cause of death, really cute girlfriend named Betty Cooper. Well, maybe she wasn’t his girlfriend yet. That was a conversation for another day.

A loud clap of thunder pulled them out of their brewing argument. Quickly, they gathered up their things and moved towards the safe warmth of Veronica’s beach house. The house shook with angry lightening. Jughead let out a low whistle as he watched the final few scatterings of beach goers retreat back to their cars.

“Ugh, Florida,” Veronica groaned, flopping herself down on the couch with a frustrated noise Jughead word border on calling entitled. “Why did we pick Florida?”

“Because New York is still trying to snow and you wanted an, I’m quoting here, ‘excuse to show off your beach body,’” Jughead replied. He opened the fridge and pulled out a few slices of far too expensive fancy cheese.

Betty spoke up, tracing along the glass of the window. The rain was coming down hard and fast, with no sign of it letting up anytime soon. Weather had always fascinated Betty. That was something Jughead knew. When they were children and it rained, they would sneak up into Archie’s tree house--it said no girls allowed but they always made an exception for her--and just watch the world get washed away.

“Do you want to go outside, Betts? We can sit on the porch swing.”

She turned to face him and smiled. “Yeah. I would really like that.”

After making a few cups of hot cocoa--Betty’s had extra whipped cream and Jughead’s had extra marshmallows--they stationed up outside, watching the waves crash against the seashore. On their way out he had snagged one of the fuzzy blankets for them to share. He wrapped it around them, placing a delicate kiss to her forehead. Together they sat in relative silence, simply enjoying the soft moment of tranquility.

“What happens...what happens when we go back?” Betty asked softly, drowning out the end of her sentence with a drink.

“Well...I guess I hope we stay like this. Like us. Because I’m crazy about you, Betts. This doesn’t have to be some spring fling. I think it could be...I think if we want it to be something more it’ll be something great.”

“I want that. I want that too, Jug. I want ever messy thing about this, no matter how confusing or hard it’s going to be sometimes. We’re something good together, something amazing and I want that.”

She looked up at him with brilliant green eyes and he knew those would be the only oceans he would ever need to see again. Leaning down, he kissed her hard. They stayed like that for a long time, lost in each other as the thunder carried on around them. Jughead had never felt so at peace before.

“Do you think Veronica would prefer an edible arrangement or diamond earrings as a thank you gift?”

Betty rolled her eyes and cuddled closer to his chest. “Don’t encourage her, Jones, or she’ll think she needs to set up her own matchmaking service. Think of her success to failure ratio?”

“Well, last I checked, we were her only success. Midge and Dilton almost worked but turns out he’s fucking insane and has an antique knife and gun collection. I’m less concerned with why has has them then how. Did he start it when he was like sixteen? Changed my mind, I don’t think I was the weirdest guy at Riverdale High anymore.”

“Mr. I’m Weird, I’m a Weirdo isn’t the weirdest guy? Someone came and stole your title.”

“Doesn’t bother me, Betts. Because I got what I wanted out of there?”

“And what’s that?”

“You.”

There was a quiet pause and then she was kissing him like she had never kissed him before. Come hell or high water, Jughead was going to make sure he never lost her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr @tory-b
> 
> follow @buggiebreaks for more amazing stuff from amazing people!


	8. Prompt 8: Free Choice!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty add new member to their family <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is! The last day of Buggie break! Thanks so much for being on this wild ride with me! Wanna give a shoutout to @theheavycrown for being an amazing gal and coming up with a special character in this fic with me. Trust me, you'll know who it is. He's small and fluffy<3

Six Months later…

“Are you sure about this, Jug? Taking care of someone is a serious step in our relationship. We’ve never done something like this before and it’s a lot of responsibility. We aren’t always home because of classes and I want to make sure this little guy has as much love and attention as we can spare him.”

“I trust us. We’ve survived murder mysterious and Veronica induced Spring Breaks, I know we can handle something like this. Besides, we want this Betty. We’ve talked a lot about it and I think maybe it’s time we take that leap.”

The pet store clerk stared at the couple with bored, tired eyes. She popped her bubble gum once and pointed at the glass cage, where one of the fuzzy little creatures was running furiously on his wheel. “So are you going to get the hamster or what?”

For months Betty and Jughead had been arguing about getting a pet. They both wanted companionship in the house, but it soon became a matter of what kind. Betty was a cat person. During junior year she’d lost her ginger cat Carmel and cried for days into her best friend’s warm embrace. Growing up, Jughead had a dog--or rather, the trailer park Southside Serpents had a dog, but he mostly stayed at the Jones place, probably because they were most likely to offer the stray scraps of food from uneaten leftovers--named Hot Dog, a fluffy, angry, ill behaved sheep dog who loved food as much as he did. Hot Dog was technically a third, but he hadn’t had a litter by the time he’d finally rolled over and run up to doggie heaven, so there was no way to officially carry on his legacy.

As a compromise, Betty suggested a ferret. But after a few play sessions with one, Jughead determined that the smell was too awful and he liked his hat on his head, not torn into pieces, no matter how cute the animal was (or how much he really liked the thought of naming it Draco Malfoy). A fish of any kind was boring. The thought of feeding reptiles live crickets made Betty cringe so that was out. Birds were loud and there wasn’t much room on the deck of their apartment for a feathery friend. Not to mention, their neighbors would kill them--they were already a bit frustrated with how loud the new couple was being when partaking in certain extracurricular activities. Finally, they’d stumbled across the small rodent section of Petco and Jugheads love of tiny things had activated the second he laid eyes on the fluffy blonde dwarf hamsters. Betty didn’t need much convincing either.

“Yeah we’ll take him,” he confirmed to the grumpy teenage attendant, who quickly scooped up the little guy and handed him over.

“He’s so small,” Betty cooed. “Oh what are we going to name our nocturnal little guy?”

The hamster gently nibbled at Jughead’s finger, curiously exploring the planes of his arm, looking for a good place to nuzzle down and sleep the rest of his day away. He was in awe over just how small the animal was. It was a secret, how much he loved small things. Betty’s hands were small and he loved to hold those. When Jellybean was young, he’d been perplexed and in love with her tiny, chubby little legs. Occasionally, late at night when he couldn’t sleep, Jughead would open up his laptop and scroll through small bird videos on twitter, trying to keep himself from crying when he encountered a blue jay who liked to meow.

“What about...Slider? Like the small burgers?”

“Jug that’s perfect!”

With a pink lipstick kiss to his cheek, Jughead was off exploring the store, picking out the best hamster things. Of course it was all a bit silly, a bit unnecessary, but Betty was having fun too. This was their first pet as an official couple and that meant something. They weren’t just sharing a building or a room or a bed. Together they were in charge of making sure another living being didn’t die.

Betty insisted that they theme his cage something tropical. They got blue and beige bedding. There was also a sand bath for him in the shape of a bathtub, an octopus hammock, and a bunch of other treats for him. At the check out, they argued over who was going to be the one paying. Jughead distracted her with a quick kiss and swiped his card. 

“You think you’re so clever Jones,” she chastised him on the way to the car, “But one day I’ll beat you.”

“Your mom’s so angry, Slider. Look cute to calm her down.”

The dwarf hamster was fast asleep in the hood of Jughead’s sherpa jacket, buried to hide his face from the sun. It was cute to watch him dig around in there and find some peace. As a partially nocturnal guy himself, Jughead could definitely relate.

“I’m going to make him a beanie,” Betty said softly. “To match yours. It’ll be so cute. Oh and I bought popsicle sticks so we can make him a house. We can make him baby hamster pancakes too. I’ve been watching a lot of youtube videos.”

“Have I told you how amazing you are today, Betts?”

“Yes, but I certainly never mind hearing it again.”

Jughead leaned over and kissed her softly, making sure not to jostle the sleeping rodent in his arms. She relaxed immediately into his touch. Every day since Spring Break had felt like a dream, a rollercoaster ride he never wanted to get off of. There were ups and downs, fights and fun, but life was a journey he didn’t want to have without her. They’d been so stupid to wait. Too much fear. But now they had each other and that was enough.

Well, and little Slider, of course.

(Betty followed through on her promise of making him a hat and was pleased to find the picture of her boyfriend and hamster son matching as her screen saver a few hours later.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr @tory-b
> 
> And don't forget to take a gander at @buggiebreak!


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